Chapter 27 V2 : The Sour Cousin (1/2)

Shi Fengju had wanted to make things a little more difficult for her by not eating, but his belly, however, was intolerably hungry and his mouth was extremely thirsty. Partially by force and by desire, he accepted. But who would have known that Zhan Huan would barge into the room so soon? In a loud voice, he spoke, “Young Master, the fire stoves in the kitchen had already been put out. Auntie Li says that the dishes prepared had already been sent away to their respective chambers. Why don’t this servant go to Ning Garden to grab some dishes for Young Master? Oh, or maybe this servant can ask Auntie Li to prepare a bowl of noodles to help you last through the night? Oh, this servant was afraid that Young Master cannot wait any longer and brought with me a plate of cakes and cookies!”

As if honoring Shi Fengju with the presence of a treasure, Zhan Huan presented the plate of cakes and cookies. But only then did he realize that Sang Wan and Zhide were standing in front, and his own master’s face was now extremely darkened.

How could Shi Fengju not be angry? At Ning Garden, he had gracefully told Sang Wan that he was not hungry. But at this very moment, he was caught red-handed by Sang Wan! Zhan Huan’s words had seemed somewhat piercing.

Zhide wanted to laugh but dare not do so. With a straight face, she acted as if she had not heard Zhan Huan. And as for Zhan Huan, he was unaware of what had happened in Ning Garden. Smiling naturally at Sang Wan, he bowed, “Young Mistress, you’ve come!”

Sang Wan chuckled to herself but did not reveal it on the surface. Looking towards Zhan Huan, she nodded and smiled, “This plate of pastries shall be your reward. You may eat them! I’ll take care of your master from here, so you may take your leave first!”

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Zhan Huan subconsciously glanced at his master whose face was still darkened and grinned, “Young Mistress sure does care a lot for Young Master, then this servant shall take his leave now!” With that, he lowered his head and skidded away.

“That dog!” Shi Fengju snorted angrily.

“Lord, please!” Sang Wan knew that she shouldn’t wait any longer for any longer and Shi Fengju’s embarrassment would definitely be fed to his anger. As such, she led him to a seat and gestured to Zhide to take out the dishes from the food box before serving a bowl of soup to Shi Fengju personally.

When Shi Fengju saw that she did not make fun of him, with her expression the same as if she had not heard Zhan Huan, his heart calmed down. He had wanted to say something but after a second thought would have sounded a little too harsh and wipe them away from his mind. Quietly on the seat, he slowly received the dishes one after another.

A mouth full of delicious soup went down his throat and his appetite was suddenly woken up from its slumber. Filled with energy, Shi Fengju spoke warmly to Sang Wan, “That’s enough. Zhide will stay and serve me. You may go back first!”

He had already said that he had things to do. Regardless of whether that was true, he had to sit in the study room for a little while longer to justify his words.

“Alright then. I’ll head off first! Lord, do return and rest early. Don’t stay up too late!” Sang Wan nodded. Smiling at Zhide, she went on to instruct her, “Brew a pot of good tea for Lord, later on, to help him with his digestion. And if there’s any fresh melons or fruits, have someone prepare them and bring them in. Do not forget!”

“Yes, Young Mistress!” Zhide bowed as she answered.

Shi Fengju took a quick glimpse at her and his heart felt somewhat more comfortable. To live was to serve; that was definitely not something males can do! For her to be willing to even act out the part, it must have been tough for her!

As the thought wandered in his mind, his heart could not help but feel apologetic towards Sang Wan. Putting a soft tone, he smiled and spoke to her, “No need to go through the trouble. The things I have to do tonight isn’t much. I’ll return very soon! Oh yes, if you’re tired, you may rest first!”

Reciprocating the favor, the people before our time sure were wise! Sang Wan thought to herself. She answered back with a smile on her face and left.

But who would have known, before Sang Wan arrived back at Ning Garden, she heard someone call for her from behind. Halting her footsteps, she turned to see who it was. Her eyes widened, “Zhide? Why did you not remain to serve Lord?”

Sang Wan almost thought that it was because Shi Fengju was concerned for her walking back alone and specifically asked Zhide to accompany, which would have scored him a few positive points in her heart. But seeing Zhide acting a little flustered and reluctant to speak, Sang Wan’s heart sank at once.

It was needless to say as she understood.

“Cousin Fangzi went into the study room?” Sang Wan asked faintly.

Everyone in the household, including Wang Shi, would carry a strange expression when mentioning Gu Fangzi. It was as if telling her that Gu Fangzi was a scourge.

But on that thought, it seemed that was really so, was it not?

“Yes,” Since Sang Wan had already spoken, Zhide could only nod. But she hurriedly added, “Young Mistress, you may not know this but Miss Gu has provided lots of help to Young Master in his business these few years, and has many matters to discuss with him. So that might have been the case.”

“I’ve already heard from my mother-in-law that my cousin-in-law is a very capable lady.” Sang Wan smiled, her brows still gentle as usual.

Zhide could not help but feel sympathy for Sang Wan. In all fairness, if it were someone else stuck in such a position, that person may have been plunged into a deep depression! Young Mistress sure has it tough. Zhide wanted to voice out a few comforting words for Sang Wan, but as their relationship was not very close, she held those words back.

Master and servant, the two walked back to Ning Garden with not a single word spoken.